In the area of schizophrenia, McCarley has studied brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. McCarley and Martha Shenton published a classic paper in 1992 that described a relationship in a reduction in the volume of the left superior temporal gyrus and thought disorder in patients with schizophrenia.[4]

In 2007, McCarley was ranked as the ninth most cited author in the field of schizophrenia research over the past decade.[6] McCarley has publish around 300 research articles and several books and book chapters such as Brain Control of Wakefulness and Sleep.[7]